


Master of Chaldea (Or How I Started Worrying Because All These Servants Are Hot)

by TemariDesertStorm



Category: Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, minor unrequited Lancelot/Altria
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-09-27 11:21:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20406889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TemariDesertStorm/pseuds/TemariDesertStorm
Summary: In which Chaldea has too many attractive men and Ritsuka Fujimaru is only human and has feelings. Some feelings less innocent than others... much to the occasional dismay of her kouhai.





	1. The Master and the Counter Force

He is unable to decide what it is about the Master of Chaldea that first made him feel any loyalty to her, but no matter the cause, he felt it from their first meeting. Summoned to a fiery wasteland so familiar to his aged and battered memories, summoned by a fledgling Master - her eyes too innocent for war, her smile too forced to be reassuring, a pale tinge of fear at her cheeks - he nearly scoffed at her when she held out her hand to him, her delicate fingers trembling slightly, as her way of introduction.

"Archer. I have been summoned and come at your request."

A frown flashed across her face at his introduction, her hand still hanging in the air before her. Still, she forced her smile back and returned his greeting. "Ritsuka Fujimaru. It's nice to meet you, Archer." It was a warm welcome from a girl in a wasteland, ernest and genuinely glad.

Even after being drawn into battle abruptly, he was able to grasp the situation fairly quickly. This new Master of his, inexperienced as she was, had been nothing more than a placeholder, a normal girl drawn into a conflict she knew nothing about, having nothing more than the minimal magical circuits required to be a Master and no qualifications as a Mage. She fussed over her companions - particularly the Demi-Servant with the shield, Mash - and was constantly being scolded for her absent-mindedness by her superior, skating through battles with the littlest knowledge possible. In a way, she reminded him a little of himself, of the person he used to be, ignorant and stubborn in her ways. Still, he felt himself getting a headache as he watched her fumbling around, oblivious to the almost flippant attitude with which she regarded the situation.

Their lives were in danger and the only one capable of leading them - the Master - was letting her boss and her external support make all the decisions. What sort of Master was she, not taking her life into her own hands? Was she even a Master worthy of following? The thought concerned him even as the seriousness of the situation became apparent.

The Incineration of Human History... As soon as those words were spoken, he knew why he had been summoned. An agent of the Counter Force residing in the Holy Grail, summoned by the last remaining Master to prevent the destruction of humanity... It was the job he existed for.

Upon their return to Chaldea, after the impromptu briefing she had received, his new Master approached him, once again holding her hand out to him. "We didn't get much time for an introduction out there, you know?"

"It was sufficient enough, Master."

She scowled. "Ritsuka is fine. What about you?"

"Archer."

She laughed softly, as if his reply was a joke to her. "I mean, your real name. I know you're an Archer, but there's other Archers as well and it'll get confusing if I just call 'Archer!' and half of Chaldea responds." She wiggled the fingers of her outstretched hand a little, reminding him she was waiting.

He continued to stare at her, dropping his gaze to her hand momentarily to tell her he had no intention of returning the gesture. "Master, I don't want you to have any illusions as to why I was summoned. As the fate of humanity is in jeopardy, it was only natural for a Guardian to be present to resolve it. I'm here for that exact reason."

"A 'Guardian'?"

Less of a Mage than a competent Master, he was quickly losing any faith in her. "Guardians are employed by the World as agents of the Counter Force, to protect humanity as a counter to anything threatening it. There is a threat, therefore, I am here. As your general aptitude as a Mage is low, I was surprised that you could summon any Servants of a higher caliber, but as a Counter Guardian summoned regardless of your strength, I'll accept you as a Master and put forth the best of my abilities."

There was a long moment of silence between them as she dropped her hand to her side and stared at him, her face unreadable. Then, with the abruptness of an adult dismissing a petulant child, she spun on her heel and made to walk away from him, letting out an indignant huff with her chin in the air. "I won't accept your help, then."

He caught himself, taken aback by her sudden change in attitude. "What? ...You do understand what kind of position you're in, don't you?"

"Of course I do," she replied, looking over her shoulder at him with narrowed eyes, her disdain evident, "but maybe you don't."

"As a Counter Guardian-"

"That doesn't matter to me." Her sharp words left him speechless, and she turned to him with a scowl. "I'm under no illusions as to why I'm here. I know I'm the bottom of the barrel in terms of Master Candidates, the end of the list, the last resort, but that's where we are: at our last resort. To be completely honest with you, I'm terrified. My first thought during the briefing was that humanity was doomed, that I would fail... It made me feel so lonely..." Her expression was sad for a moment, eyes cast to the floor before she snapped her gaze back to him, determination blazing. "But I'm not the only one fighting. Mash, Dr. Roman, all the staff left here... We're all fighting - not for humanity's sake, but for ourselves. I want to live. I want to see the future. So, I don't want to fight alongside anyone who thinks of this as 'a job' or as 'their duty'. I don't know if I can trust people like that yet... I can trust only those who are willing to stand by my side and fight together towards that goal."

There was a beat of silence, the only sound the humming of Chaldea's equipment as it preserved the few lives left within its walls. Eventually, she smiled sheepishly. "Though, I guess Servants don't really have to worry about stuff like that. Your lives aren't on the line, huh?" Her laugh was strained, but the meaning of her words had already struck a chord inside him. Unlike his previous self, who had fought for the sake of justice, this fledgling Master had no plans of fighting for lofty ideals. She was looking out for herself, and if saving humanity was a side effect of that, she was alright with that. Behind the brave face she had put on for her Servants, this was the honest wish of a girl who only wanted to live.

"Emiya."

His voice snapped her back from her thoughts. "Huh?"

"You asked for my name. If you plan on summoning other Archers, you can call me Emiya. It's as much of a name as I have, so feel free to use it, Master."

It took her a moment to process his words, but as she did, a smile dawned on her face, radiant and true. "Thank you, Emiya! I'll be sure to call on you when we head out for the Singularity, so rest up until then. I look forward to working with you!" With an exuberant bow, her ponytail nearly swinging into her face as she straightened, she gave him a little wave and departed down the hall, hands clasped behind her back and a skip in her step.

Truly, Emiya was unsure what had first proved to him that Ritsuka Fujimaru was a worthy Master, but her realistic goals and her ernest enthusiasm proved to him that she would be a worthwhile one to follow.


	2. The Master and The Knight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saberlot is summoned. Mash is less than pleased.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ritsuka's initial reaction was my own. I wasn't even at Camelot and I rolled him my first 10.

For Lancelot, Knight of the Lake, member of the Knights of the Round Table, to be summoned as a Servant was no surprise. To be summoned as a Saber, at the peak of this performance, was also not much of a surprise. Nor was it a great shock that his king had been summoned before him, as loathe as he was to show his face before her. Nor even that he had already been summoned in a different class - one which he thought suited him more than his current state.

The greatest shock for the Heroic Spirit Sir Lancelot was that he was summoned to squeals of glee and greeted with the sight of his new Master hopping up and down in pure joy, the Demi-Servant of Galahad looking on with disdain. The contrast in reactions was almost as unsettling as his Master's lack of care for her own decency, her skirt flipping up in her exuberance.

"Double standard, Mash!" she called as the Demi-Servant left the room, evidently having no intention of staying in the same location as him. "You can't be impressed with the Berserker and think the Saber is a deadbeat. Get your opinions with Galahad straight!"

Lancelot quickly found that his Master, Ritsuka Fujimaru, was a worthy Master to serve. Through her trials, she was well on her way to restoring humanity, having amassed a veritable army of Servants to aid her. She was on good terms with all of them, managing to converse and handle even the unruliest of Berserkers. By watching his Master's interactions, he quickly found a routine that allowed him to rest without worry of encountering his king or his other self. He found himself unable to bring himself before the King of Knights, ashamed of himself and his actions in life, as well as the feelings he held for the woman herself. Altria remained radiant, the pure and perfect king, her presence still fierce and noble, and Lancelot had once found himself falling for the mighty ruler he served when her secret had been revealed to him. Even as a Servant, those feelings remained, like a piece of his heart had crystalized, his feelings for her both precious and painful. His other self was slightly more difficult to dodge as - per Chaldea mandate - Berserker Lancelot and Altria were to be as far away from each other as possible, which made Saber Lancelot's task all the more problematic. Avoiding one was a surefire way to run into the other.

His relationship with the other Knights was significantly less strained than he had imagined, especially with Gawain, who forgave him and graciously accepted his apologies. The acceptance of his brothers-in-arms of his shame before their king was also appreciated, and none questioned his actions, though he could see the concern written on their features. The only Knight who overtly kept their distance was Galahad - Mash Kyrielight. The Demi-Servant stuck to Ritsuka's side like glue, a powerful protective force even when not in battle. Though her relationship with the other Knights seemed cordial enough, she made a point of glaring at Lancelot whenever they made eye contact, making sure to avoid acknowledging his presence when contact was required. The most he got from her was a grumbled 'Thanks, Dad' when he had protected Ritsuka in battle in her place, and even that was enough to fill him with equal parts shame and pride. It was not much, but Lancelot had never been much of a father, so he resolved to make the best of what he got.

His greatest concern was his Master and her safety. Due to the nature of her job, she was constantly in danger, keeping Lancelot on his toes. He prided himself on serving Ritsuka as a knight, fighting for her with the same fervor as he had his king, and she seemed genuinely grateful for his skills. She called upon him quite often, much to Mash's dismay, and he tried his best to approach his role as a Servant in the same way Altria had served as king - mechanical, almost detached in his outward behaviour.

That only managed to make his life more difficult.

Ritsuka Fujimaru was, in a word, cute. She was sandwiched somewhere between graceful and tomboyish, kind and delicate as a flower while being incredibly strong-willed. She could go from chastising a Servant several times her size to stuffing her face with Emiya's cooking at the drop of a hat. The more time he spent with her, the more Lancelot began to draw comparisons with Altria and Guinevere. Ritsuka handled herself with a courage and conviction that was almost kingly in nature, defending her Servants from any slight and passing judgement on their mistakes. Conversely, she was dainty, with her slender fingers and slim arms and legs, and she expressed her joy with a girlish glee that never failed to send Lancelot's heart fluttering. Even the Mystic Codes that Da Vinci designed for her emphasized her cuter aspects, bringing out her curves and drawing attention to her legs, so much so that he was afraid to look down when Mash was present.

His feeling for his Master were both bewildering and disturbing to him. He had not felt such a powerful pull of desire and disgust in himself since Guinevere, the desire to touch a woman so far beyond his reach and the disgust in himself that he should have such thoughts for someone he should be serving impartially. Yet the more he tried to suppress his yearnings, the more powerful they became, and the more powerful they became, the more sharply he was aware of Mash's disgust of him. Every time he tried to avoid those feelings, Ritsuka would seek him out, call upon him to battle, and he would be forced to confront them again. It brought him torment - enough to drive him as mad as his Berserker self - and only made him more adamant in fleeing from the presence of his king.

Soon, he feared, he would break under the strain.


	3. Passion with a Vengance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Avengers are difficult to handle, as Ritsuka finds out the hard way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There seems to be quite a few doujins of Ritsuka and Dantes, go figure.

Over the long weeks and months of being a Master, Ritsuka had learned a lot about Servants. Certain classes needed to be approached with different strategies in mind, and even certain individuals within those classes had to be treated and spoken to in different ways. Some kings and pharaohs required a bit of groveling on her part and each Berserker had to be spoken to with a different level of comprehension on both parts. Even so, Ritsuka was a quick learner, managing to keep her head above water until she could figure out how to deal with each one.

The one exception, as she found out, was Avenger. Revenge and hatred were fairly foreign concepts to her, especially on Avenger levels, so she tried to keep herself on neutral ground until she could find what topics would set them off. In that way, she found herself treating them like Berserkers, and that was her biggest mistake. There was no way a simple girl would be able to comprehend the mind of one who lived their life in hatred, especially one as calculating and clear as the Count of Monte Cristo.

Ritsuka was only human, after all, and humans had their own set of needs to be fulfilled. As Servants required Mana, so too did she need food and shelter, but beyond that, there was something more. A need for contact, for touch... for love and pleasure. As a teenage girl, a young woman, they were feelings she could not avoid, desires she could not deny... and yet, despite the abundance of men around her, she could never bring herself to act. They were Heroic Spirits, Servants, and in her mind such thoughts were unfair. She had summoned them to her side to fight: forcing her desires on them was crossing a line. Besides, with such a collection of Servants - male and female - she found herself being more self-conscious about her body. She had always thought of herself as being on the cute side, but being surrounded by royalty and divinities, she found her self-esteem waning.

So, to keep herself moderately contained, Ritsuka found herself staring at Servants she found particularly attractive, a group that included the infamous King of the Cavern. He was a man with a deep desire for revenge, but also a man who hated the indiscretions of humanity due to his deep love for humanity itself. It was a love born of faith that humanity could be better than it was, and the ensuing despair at humanity's failings was just as powerful. Ritsuka admired him for his unwavering resolve and fortitude, of course, but there was no denying the Count was an attractive man as well. His piercing eyes, his unkempt hair, the air with which he carried himself... they were all things that made him attractive - and dangerous.

One evening, Ritsuka found herself looking over documents on the terminal in her room, a usual pastime for her. Learning more about the Servants allowed her to better understand their strengths and guard against their weaknesses. On top of that, she had a love of mythology that had been born in her at a young age, so it was a practice she enjoyed. Evening in Chaldea were quiet, so the knock on her door surprised her, even more so when she saw who her visitor was.

"Good evening, Count. It's unusual for you to visit me like this. What can I help you with?"

Dantes eyed her carefully, his expression unreadable in the dim light and the shadow of his hat. "Perhaps much or perhaps little."

"Well, I'll certainly do my best if it's something I can do."

He let out a soft hum of thought. "Such a dependable Master. Though... I wonder if you'll be as accommodating when you hear my reasons."

"Reasons for what?"

"You've been staring at me, haven't you."

It was less a question than an accusation, and the low tone of his voice made Ritsuka's heart skip a beat. "I... I have?"

"Are you seeking to deny it? Or would you have me doubt my own senses?" Despite the calm tone of his voice, there was a sharpness to his gaze as he approached, leaning towards her until she was nearly falling from her chair. Ritsuka could feel her heartbeat pounding erratically inside her chest in a combination of fear and excitement. He was more handsome than she had realized, the straight lines of his face, his features both well-defined and soft, giving off the impression of both masculinity and class. Up close, even his voice seemed to have layers of dialect and accent that she had never heard before. "You're quite obvious, especially this close, Master. The indiscretions of humanity are quite clearly written upon your face."

It took a moment of catching her breath before she could reply. "Indiscretions...?" she whispered, barely managing to squeak the word out at his proximity.

"Servants we may be, but we are not blind." He took another step closer, forcing Ritsuka to vacate her chair just to avoid toppling backwards onto the floor. As he continued, Dantes continued his advance, backing her towards the wall. "Did you truly think us so arrogant as to miss the desires written across the face of our Master? I have watched you, Master, observed each and every action you've taken in my presence, and the conclusion was never a difficult one. For a human, the desire for physical pleasure is far from uncommon. And yet..." Ritsuka's back hit the wall and he cut off her escape with his arms, leaning towards her so that his cloak seemed to be trying to engulf her. The brim of his hat was close enough to brush her forehead and the smile playing across his lips was as dangerous as the glint in his eyes. "...Yet you continuously deny yourself of those desires. I wonder, Master, if you know why..."

With his body so close and her heart beating so fast, Ritsuka found she was unable to respond with anything more than a whimper.

"Let me enlighten you on something you may not have realized yet." He chuckled and leaned in to whisper in her ear, his breath causing her skin to tingle, both oblivious to the fact that his hat had fallen to the floor. "Your affections are not as unrequited by the objects of your attention as you may think." His smile was sly as he pulled back slightly, having predicted the shock written on her features. "You forget that many of us were once as you are, desiring carnal pleasures. There are even some unable to rid themselves of that as spirits, and our Master is as an enticing subject as any. Maybe even more so than any," he added, dropping his eyes down along her form before pinning her once more with his gaze.

It was mind boggling to her, that any Servant - any Heroic Spirit - might find her attractive. As deprived as her brain was of oxygen, she was able to gasp out, "But I... I'm not-"

"You compare yourself too easily to impossible standards," he interjected, leaning back towards her. She shuddered at the feeling of his breath along her neck, his body crowding her against the wall until it was impossible to avoid contact. One of his legs had slid between hers, his knee brushing the inside of her thigh, and each one of her frantic breaths pushed her chest against his. "It's the height of foolishness to compare the real world with a fantasy, possibility with actuality. If a Heroic Spirit like Da Vinci can manifest in such a form, anything is possible. That is what makes you so alluring, Master. You exist. You are real. No hero or goddess can compare when you radiate such beautiful, fleeting mortality. Besides," he dropped his voice back to a whisper, his lips dusting across the skin above the collar of her uniform, "what Servant here would deny the chance to taste our Master's mana, directly from the source?"

The touch of his skin against hers brought a wave of heat erupting through her body, as though steam was escaping from every pore to protect her fragile brain from overheating. Dantes was touching her, pressing her against the wall with the length of his body, his hand leaving a trail of heat in his wake as he traced her curves down to her thigh. The drag of his fingertips along the inside of her thigh sent the heat down to her core, unable to stop her body from arching into his. The Count let out a sardonic chuckle as he began to divest her of her shirt with his other hand. "To think, my own Master would desire this poisonous body of mine. I wonder how much you can handle..."

Ritsuka wanted to challenge his words, to argue that he was not so venomous as to cause her harm, but - as if reading her very thoughts and silencing them - he slanted his mouth over hers, entwining their tongues as he swallowed each of her breaths, leaving behind a fiery taste as their saliva mingled. His hands continued their ministrations, one massaging her inner thigh while the other had found purchase on the mound of her breast, thumb gliding over the rising peak. The heat in her core grew, obscuring her thoughts in a white haze, savoring the taste of him, the feel of him, the physical contact.

It was only when Dantes pulled back that she was allowed to catch her breath, but only for a single moment, as in the next he swept her off her feet to drop her on her bed. She could tell she was a mess, her shirt hanging open to show her heaving chest, their mixed saliva trailing down the sides of her mouth, and a wetness between her legs that the Avenger scooped up with his fingertips as he threw off his cloak. The sensation of his touch there sent a shiver up her spine, the haze floating back in that she barely caught his words as he began peeling off her boots and stockings. "Chaldea provides the Servants here with Mana, true, but bread and water, while enough for one to survive, is plain. When given the opportunity to partake of a banquet - the delicious Mana of our Master - there are few among the Servants who would not indulge. An oasis of freedom for those imprisoned in monotony..." Her skirt had joined her boots on the floor and the touch of his hands along her bare skin, trailing up to expose her breasts, made her arch into his palm. The pleasure of contact was too intoxicating, the jolts of ecstasy as he massaged her sensitive skin, and even his taste as he kissed her deeply once more, lit a fire within her that she thought could be stoked no higher.

She was wrong, however, as in the next moment, one of his long fingers slid up into her core and she could only moan into his mouth as it was soon joined by another. His touch inside her was like a flame burning higher and higher until everything around it was turned to ash, each bend and twitch sparking the raging inferno back to life. He kissed her with a raging passion that was loving and hateful all at once, stoking the fire within her until she was sure she would explode, only for him to withdraw his touch. Ritsuka whined, the need in her having grown too great, but he was far from finished with her, finally unbuttoning his shirt to press himself fully against her.

Dantes was, as was to be expected, covered in scars, some long and deep, others overlapping each other to mar nearly every inch of his skin, but that only made her feelings towards the man stronger. Each scar was a map of the pain that had been inflicted, of the pains he had endured and come through a stronger man for them. If they caused him discomfort, he gave no indication, nipping at her collarbone when she reached up and flattened her palms against them. His lips left burning patches along her already heated flesh and she rocked against him as he drew one of her legs up around his waist. "Hate and love are powerful things," he muttered, looming above her like a predator having caught his prey, "and powerful things hurt, no matter which they are. My vengeance is to cause pain to those who wronged me, but my desire will surely cause pain to those I protect. Let me show you that power." Having said his piece, he leaned in to kiss her again, capturing the gasp of pain as her body shuddered at his penetration.

For Ritsuka, being a normal girl with an average life before joining Chaldea, sex had never been on her radar. She had been living her life, attending class, working a job, hanging out with friends, and then sleeping until her day began anew. For her first time to be with a powerful Servant, let alone an Avenger, had not even crossed her mind, but as he pressed deeper into her slick folds, she felt herself topple over the peak of her first orgasm, clinging to him like a lifeline in a storm as her mind went blank and her vision swam. She bucked into his shallow thrusts, riding through the waves of pleasure he had brought her, moaning loudly in a voice that sounded nothing like her own as he carried her through, sucking at the pulse in her neck until she finally descended back into coherency.

The Count chuckled at her as her breathing began to even out. "Well done, Master, but you've put yourself in quite the vulnerable spot," he said, licking some saliva at the corner of his mouth. "I wasn't even all the way in yet, so brace yourself. It's my turn and I have no plans to be merciful with you." There was no chance for Ritsuka to object as he immediately adjusted his hold on her raised leg and sheathed himself in her. Pain and pleasure in equal parts sent sparks before her eyes as he began moving, pulling out slowly only to thrust back in forcefully, picking up speed before her body could begin to adapt. The wet slap of their hips meeting was joined by her cries of pleasure, his thick length pressing at places deep inside her she had never known could feel anything. The sensation of him filling her, coupled with his hands on her skin and his lips finding purchase around one of her nipples, quickly drove her back to the brink. Her mind was a swamp of pleasure, filled with his presence as surely as he was claiming her body, until at last they climaxed together, riding the blinding waves of her hazy mind as she sank deeper and deeper into his embrace and her own exhaustion.

Even as she sank into the darkness of sleep, she felt Dantes at her side, cradling her to his chest, speaking softly to her. "Do not forget those feelings, Master. I am not the only one who desires the taste of you or who longs for you as you do. If the fires of Monte Cristo were not enough to incinerate your very soul, then you many truly endure anything. For now, I will remain by your side, as you have my praise for your strength of will. On the topic of this happening once more, I say... _Attendre, esperer_..."

When Ritsuka woke the next morning, extremely sore and draped in sweaty sheets, she was alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Attendre, esperer" is Dantes' moto, "Wait and hope". I thought it would be fitting.


End file.
